Posted on 03/25/2025 8:25:42 AM PDT by DFG
A megachurch pastor faces jail for stalking a female congregation member after being caught twice breaking into her home on CCTV.
Marie Columna, 43, said she’s “still afraid” of Sergio Guardia, 49, a minister at the renowned Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Guardia was convicted by a jury last week on two counts of burglary and one count of stalking, according to Lynchburg Circuit Court and faces up to ten years in jail.
The megachurch in Lynchburg — founded by Jerry Falwell Sr. and affiliated with Liberty University — is one of the most celebrated Baptist churches in the country and is affiliated with the scandal-hit Southern Baptist Convention.
Marie, 43, a service coordinator for early intervention said she reported Guardia’s increasingly bizarre behavior before leaving the church in 2016 — but “nothing was ever done about it”.
The Lynchburg woman is speaking out about the 2023 break-ins, caught on security camera footage.
“I was out of state with my children visiting a friend, and I got a notification on my phone that a person was in my house,” Marie recalled.
The footage, captured at 11:30 p.m. on November 10, revealed Guardia walking through the door and creeping around the kitchen.
“Every light was off, and he was using the flashlight on his phone. It was very clear that he knew exactly where he was – that he had been in my house before.”
Guardia, wearing sweatshirt and jeans, appeared to notice the camera and ran away.
Marie, who had installed security cameras about a month before, due to a series of neighborhood break-ins, said she called police the next morning.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
it’s ok. it’s a Baptist preacher.
WHat??!? Not posted by Morgana???
Well, they *are* nominally Babtists so maybe that’s why she had a blind spot on this one. LOL
(j/k, y’all keep your knickers un-knotted...)
>> it’s ok. it’s a Baptist preacher.
Do you think alcohol might have been involved? :-)
he was looking for her beer.....................
Faith has been under fire in the world, particularly Christianity recently, and then this stuff happens. Very sad.
I thought that was a Finnish problem.
Matthew 7:15 my friend.
Jesus warned us.....gotta beware of fakes.
Sergio Guardia is helping to give the church a bad name.
What don’t criminals and perverts understand about hidden miniature cameras? You just have to assume that cameras are everywhere.
Glad he’s stupid.
That’s right.
I must say, their choir robes are certainly stylish and avant garde...
Reading the story was creepy. My gosh, she should have set up a camera and called the police long before she did. Moving away multiple times, with him finding her each time. Then, coming home and seeing him sitting on her couch greeting her cheerfully when she came in.
Just wow.
I don’t see him on the staff as they claim.
https://trbc.org/staff/
Used car salesmen with Bibles in hand.
Prescription for hypersonic lead injections.
Don’t associate the legacy of Jerry Falwell with guys named Sergio.
Plenty of pastors are wolves in sheep’s clothing. Their acts are of the psychopath.
Breaking and entering, stalking, and other nasty habits like advocating and enabling the use of pornography.
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